Disclaimer: I own OCs, everything else belongs to Nintendo.


"Move it, you boneless leeches!"

Arvis barked orders as other Octarians scurried around. They were busy doing final maintenance on the prince's invention. The machine would, ideally, allow them to finally rid the world of Agent 3.

The device was oddly shaped. It looked like an assortment of poles stretched across the sky. Octarian Ink could be put onto the poles to serve a number of different purposes. When Arvis had first heard of the list of things it could do, his eyes lit up with eager anticipation. One particular feature could put an end to one of Agent 3's ways of getting out of trouble, provided the machine was working properly. After that, he would have contingencies for all of that boy's other tricks.

"Faster, I said! You won't like what'll happen to you if it isn't in perfect working order by the next time we see that boy." He twisted his lip, and in a quieter voice for him alone, he added. "I won't be shamed again. That Inkling will not survive this round."

He closed his eyes, and his angry expression slowly softened. His mind's eye already picturing the inevitable result.


Lum was sitting at a table in Octo Valley, casually nibbling on a sandwich. The only other person sitting at the table with him was one of his fellow agents. Agent 1, or Callie, was busy digging into a full course meal. Meat, cheese, and cakes doted the tabletop, it looked like entirely too much for a single squid.

As Agent 1 shamelessly dug into her meal, Lum just awkwardly stared at the girl. The sight of this was making him slowly lose his own appetite. He looked down at his sandwich, he had only taken two small bites out of it.

"Are you sure you should eat that much before a day of missions?" Lum asked. The girl stopped eating momentarily and looked at him. "I mean, what if an Octarian hits you in the gut today?"

Agent 1 swallowed down the food she had in her mouth before speaking, a small bit of cake still on her lip. "I'm not too worried, nothing could go wrong with a legend like you with me." She lifted her shades off her eyes and winked at Lum.

It was then that Lum noticed. He knew that his fellow agents weren't ugly, but that little wink made him realize, Agents 1 and 2 really were quite attractive girls. Of course, most of the maledom of Inkopolis were attracted to the two, he just hadn't thought about it too much.

His moment of noticing this slowly faded. As his thoughts returned to the conversation he was having with his friend, he noticed that his Hero Shot was resting next to him. He debated hitting Agent 1 in the gut with some ink as a joke.

"Runaway crabby cake!"

Lum bolted around to watch as the captain was chasing a bouncing article of food. He chased it past the table, past his shack, until eventually catching it and sinking his teeth into it.

"It didn't have a ghost of a chance." Lum quipped, wondering if it was entirely sanitary to eat a crabby cake after it had rolled along the ground like that. He took another bite out of his sandwich as Cuttlefish began digging into his own meal.

"Bucko." Cuttlefish began as he finished his cake. "When you're done eating, I need you to head out to see Agent 2."

Lum tilted his head. "I was wondering where she was. What's she doing? Where is she?"

"Just some scouting." Cuttlefish said. "Off to the north. Made sure there weren't any Octarians around. No repeats of what happened last time, but I want you to scout with her today."

Lum made a quiet laugh as he thought how just a few days past he had to save Agent 2 from an Octarian stronghold. "That was a memorable incident. Though I hope it doesn't get repeated too often." He looked back at his sandwich and took another bite out of it before dropping it on the table and standing up. If there were no Octarians around, he may actually have a pleasantly uneventful time in the valley today. It'd be a first.


Cuttlefish had some interesting idea for where scouting should take place. Up high in the air, on one of the curious floating structures, though easily reached by an Inkrail, Agent 2 was watching the perimeter with a telescope. Though it should have been an important job, there was an undeniable look of boredom on her face.

"See anything interesting?" Lum inquired from behind her. Agent 2 jolted at the sound of the first syllable. She turned to him, looking slightly annoyed. Lum ducked his head, realizing that he should have announced his presence a bit less suddenly.

"Nothing." Agent 2 answered. "The Octarians aren't moving right now."

Lum crossed his arms. Normally he should be relieved to hear that, but after the oddly organized plan the Octarians had the last time he faced them, that they had gone silent was a bit disquieting to him. Though if they tried something, he was sure that he could handle it. He had always been able to handle it.

As he continued thinking, Agent 2 nudged him. "How's regular life treating you?"

He shrugged, unperturbed by the change in subject. His teammates were always curious about him for some reason. "Decently. I do almost everything with my sister. Except when I'm down here, obviously."

The girl made a small smile. Lum stepped forward and squinted his eyes, looking off into the distance. He saw some of the kettles that marked the entrance of the Octarian's dwellings, but no sign of the Octarians themselves. A part of him was telling him that they had to be planning something. Yet...


"Scouting for us, are they?" Arvis grinned. The two Inklings were oblivious to the camera that was watching them. They were no match for Octarian intel collection. As Arvis watched the live feed, he saw that this was the opportune moment.

"I only planned to get Agent 3, and while the other two field agents are negligible at best, taking one of them as well will be a nice little bonus." He nodded to himself, satisfied with his plan.

"Begin the first phase."


As Agents 2 and 3 continued watching the distance, the sudden sound of an inky explosion came from behind them. They spun around in unison, though Lum had to lean back to keep himself from being clobbered by 2's telescope.

"The Inkrail!" Lum saw it, with Octarian ink spread around it. The yellow ink that had been flowing through it was no more, it was running Octarian ink through it now. No Inkling would be able to use it right now. Lum squinted, getting the Inkrail working for them again would be easy, but there was no way that was all that was about to happen.

Immediately taking his Hero Shot in one hand, Lum raised his other to signal his fellow agent to stay put while he investigated. Yet he had barely taken a step away from her when a whirring mechanical sound filled the air.

A series of, it looked like a set of poles, appeared in the sky above them. Suddenly, Octarian ink appeared, stretching across the sky, forming a sheet between the poles. In barely a minute, the sky was covered in a blanket of ink, suspended in the air.

"What is the point of that?" Agent 2 queried at the sight. What had appeared above them was technically impressive, quite pretty to look at, actually. Yet any intended purpose seemed to elude her.

Lum looked at the device, how it blocked out everything else above them, and he blinked as he realized what the purpose of it was.

"We can't Super Jump." He said, drawing a look of understanding from the girl. The Inkrail was not running Inkling ink, and they couldn't Super Jump safely with that sheet of ink in the air. If they tried, they'd fly straight into the Octo ink and get splatted. The Octarians were trying to pen them.

"Then... we're trapped?" Agent 2 asked. With the Inkrail down and unable to Super Jump away, they were effectively stranded. One shot of ink would have dealt with the Inkrail trouble, but did they have something ready to deal with an attempt to fix that? Lum raised his hand to his chin in thought, then noticed a small orange light on one of his fingers.

Instinctively, he grabbed Agent 2 and fell to the ground, dragging her down with him, just as a concentrated blast of Octarian ink flew overhead. His quick thinking spared Agent 2 of any injury, yet as the ink fell it landed on top of Lum.

"Lu- Agent 3!" Agent 2 immediately went to his side after she got her bearings. Lum got up to a sitting position, looking like he was in a fair bit of pain, but relatively okay. With some of the ink slowly dripping off of him, he half-way got up to look in the direction the ink had come from.

An Octosniper was watching. And not just one, several had appeared, keeping a vigilant watch on the floating platform.

"'Made sure there weren't any Octarians.'" Lum repeated, as he signaled for Agent 2 to follow him. "I need to have a talk with the captain when we get back."


Arvis' smile grew wider.

"Yes, scurry to the lower spots. You can evade me, but you can't defeat this perfect ambush. Eventually you'll have to crawl out of there, and we'll be waiting. This time you aren't leaving Octo Valley, brat."

His last defeat would be vindicated, he was sure. He stayed looking at the monitor, wanting to catch every last moment of the boy's end. That his plan would bring an end to the greatest threat to the Octarians was an achievement he could rest on for years to come.


On lower ground, Agent 3 and 2 sat down. Here they were relatively safe, but a glance up let you saw the laser sights prowling for the two of them. After a moment, Agent 3 tried to go up, but had to immediately jump back down to evade another attack.

Agent 2 looked at Lum expectedly, but he only frowned in response. Above, the ground was flat and featureless, and devoid of anything to hide behind. If he tried to head up and fight, the Octosnipers would likely splat him before he could take all of them down. He needed something that could distract them.

"Captain. Captain!" Lum immediately spoke through his radio, generating a surprised yelp from Cuttlefish.

"What is it, bucko?" The words sounded slightly garbled. Lum immediately realized Cuttlefish probably had food in his mouth. "Have you met up with Age-"

"Yes, I have met up with Agent 2." Lum said in a highly annoyed tone. "I've also met up with an organized Octarian attack." He glanced up in the air. "They drenched the Inkrail in their ink, and they have... some kind of machine in the air to keep me from Super Jumping. And there's too many Octosnipers for me to get to the Inkrail myself. I need you and Agent 1 to get the Inkrail working with Inkling ink on the other end before I can do anything."

Cuttlefish took note of Agent 3's report. "Alright bucko, we'll get the Inkrail back in order. You just hang tight until then."

Lum sighed as Cuttlefish stopped speaking. His eyes drifted skyward, it was the middle of the afternoon. He wasn't sure how long it would take before he would be able to get out of Octo Valley this time.


"Octo-jerks at the Inkrail." Cuttlefish noted. "Seven, no, eight of them." A small squadron of Octarians had suddenly appeared, a Inkrail with Octarian ink running through it behind them. It was obvious that this team of Octarians were here only to ensure that the device didn't have Inkling ink running through it again.

Agent 1 frowned. Unlike Agent 3, she wasn't a natural at fighting, but she also knew that Agents 3 and 2 were depending upon them. She took out a Roller, one that looked like it hadn't seen action in quite a long time. Meanwhile, the cane that Cuttlefish leaned on was actually a Charger. Though, while he was a veteran at battling, age had given him a very shaky aim.

She rarely actually fought the Octarians, but she had some slight experience. She'd likely never be storming enemy bases the way Agent 3 did, but she had managed to splat a few Octarians during her time in Octo Valley. Still, what would take Agent 3 a few seconds might take hours for her and her grandfather. With a sigh, she readied herself for a fight.


It was starting to become evening. Lum sighed. Whoever made this plan must have had something ready at the other end of the Inkrail as well if it was taking this long. This was stretching into the longest he had ever been in Octo Valley.

"Is this interrupting your schedule, 3?" Agent 2 asked as she saw Lum's slightly agitated body language. "Missing your chance to head out to party with friends?"

Lum flinched. "Um, 'friends'." He turned to Agent 2, she raised an eyebrow at how her fellow agent suddenly looked distraught. "The only person I hang out with is my sister."

Agent 2 did a double take. "You... don't have friends in your regular life?" He had said earlier that he did everything with his sister, but she didn't realize his sister was the only person Lum hung out with.

"My only friends right now are you, Agent 1, and the captain. Everyone else I've tried to interact with, well..." He trailed off and looked away, suddenly unwilling to make eye contact with her.

"What? How have things gone with your other friends?" Agent 2 asked, leaning toward him. Lum closed his eyes, should he really tell her that? He was sure that his teammates were trustworthy, but it was a very personal history, and not something that should be given out casually.

He suddenly felt something on the side of his head. He opened his eyes to see that Agent 2 had put her hand on his cheek to pull his head into a position where he had to look at her. Even with her mouth mask concealing a great amount of her face, her eyes revealed deep empathy. The look greatly loosened his lips, and he slowly began to explain his history.

Tales of betrayal and exploitation with countless individuals. Agent 2's eyes widened at what she was hearing. Throughout his life Lum had truly wanted a circle of friends, but nothing ever worked out. He gave and gave, but these 'friends' of his always left when it was their turn to give. Eventually, Lum slowly came to give up on friendships.

Yet there was that small tone to his voice that gave away the fact that Lum still wanted people who just tried to understand. Sensing this, as they sat near each other, Agent 2 bowed her head.

"Lum." She shed their identity as agents for a moment. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I shouldn't have made that comment about partying." Lum was simply looking down at his shoes, Marie felt compelled to speak further. "Lum, Callie and I are true friends. There might be moments where we had fun at your expense, but we would never abuse you the way other people have."

Fun at his expense. She decided against telling Lum that she and Callie were discussing the idea of using Lum as a rag doll to play dress up with. Maybe they'd wait a few weeks before they'd try that with Lum.

She glanced up, judging by the slightly faster movements of the lights, the Octosnipers must have been getting frustrated that the Inklings weren't showing. Fortunately, whomever came up with this plan wasn't smart enough to have some way to flush them out. She returned her attention to Lum, who had since raised his vision and was looking squarely at her. She sensed that the boy trusted her if he told her about his experiences, but a second look at his face revealed something else.

"You're getting tired, aren't you?" Marie asked.

"No, I'm..." He trailed off and shook his head. Being pinned down in this sunken area actually was taking a bit of a toll on him. "I'm plenty awake."

Despite that response, Marie stood up and walked to him to gently lay him down. "I can keep watch for a little while. Try to get some sleep."

He was resisting being laid down. "B-but Marie, if they decide to come here and attack while I'm asleep, we'll-"

Marie give him a slight smile. "I'm not on your level, but I can fight." She revealed a Charger. "I can handle a few hours watching by myself."

Lum opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by the sound of Marie humming a soft tune. She leaned him onto his back. Even on a rough and uncomfortable surface, his eyes grew heavy with the sound of Marie's lullaby. It was only a few seconds longer before he drifted off to sleep.

Marie half-smiled, brushing Lum's forehead with one of her hands. The invincible Agent 3 had something he was sensitive about. She'd have to talk with Callie and their grandfather, to make sure they never unintentionally put their foot down on Lum's problems.

She looked up, evening was transitioning to night. They weren't going to escape too soon. She wondered how Lum's sister was reacting to this long absence from her brother.


"Where is he?!" Hum asked aloud, walking at a fast pace through the plaza. Lum had disappeared again, but he had never been gone this long. Always he had been back before nightfall. Hum still had no idea where Lum was disappearing too, but now she was feeling a horrible sensation that Lum wouldn't be coming back this time.

In desperation, she had asked all the shopkeepers if they had seen him. She even asked that urchin in the back alley, the one she thought was the very definition of untrustworthy. Yet none of them had seen him anywhere.

So, he hadn't been at the house since the early morning, and it seemed he hadn't gone to the plaza either. If so, where was he? Where had he gone? Where was he going, anyway? If she only knew, she didn't like being in the dark if her brother was having some sort of problem.

She glanced at the sewer grate, but dismissed that thought as quickly as it came. There was no way Lum would go down into the sewers. No Inkling would ever waste their time there.

Yet he had to be somewhere. She gripped at the suction cups in her hair, wondering if something terrible had happened to her brother. Why wouldn't he tell her where he was going? There had almost never been secrets between the siblings. Well, minus the 'Lum's first Roller ever being put in the oven' incident. Hum would live with Lum never knowing her involvement in that.


"Arvis." The little Twintacle jolted as a small Octotrooper came up behind him. "The prince and princess are wanting a report."

The ranked Octarian grumbled under his breath. It was only a matter of time before everything worked out, yet it was destined that there would always be annoyances like this.

"Genius can't be rushed." He said after a moment of silence. "They're trying to undo the strategy, but it will work in due time."

The Octotrooper looked at the monitor, and smirked. "Shall I tell them that they're expertly waiting you out?"

Arvis turned and made a small growl. "Watch your clever mouth. Tell them that Agent 3 is about to be splatted." Indignant at the taunt, he spoke again before he thought. "He'll be splatted within the hour Tell them that."

The Octotrooper gave a smug nod before walking away. Arvis shook his head in annoyance, angered at the lack of respect he was being shown. He turned on the radio and spoke. "Octosnipers, shoot at anything that makes the slightest movement. I want the boy reduced to an inky stain immediately."


Lum stretched his arms as he woke up, he blinked a few times, then realized he was still in Octo Valley, with the sun beginning to rise. He sat up, seeing that Marie had dozed off about arm's distance away from him while he was sleeping. Fortunately, the Octarians didn't seem to be checking if they were awake or not, just waiting for the two to try and crawl out of the pit they hid in.

He shook his friend awake, she groaned briefly at being woken up. Even with groggy eyes, she could still see the Octosniper lasers.

"We can't stay here forever." Lum said. Almost in response, his stomach growled. He gave an ironic smile as he thought about the sandwich he ate only part of. Hunger pains would eventually force them to leave this safe place. Yet the area above them was flat and devoid of hiding places, going up almost guaranteed being splatted by the Octosnipers.

Suddenly, a familiar sound was heard in the air. Without thinking, Lum poked his head up above the pit he and Marie were in. His eyes widened at a new development, and then Marie yanked him back down by his shoulder.

"Have you gone crazy? The Octosnipers will-"

"The Inkrail is working again!" Lum cut her off. Marie was surprised enough that her grip on Lum's shoulder weakened. Lum immediately grabbed his Hero Shot. "Took their time, but Agent 1 and the captain must have come though, and the Octosnipers are busy investigating the sound. This is our best chance."

Without waiting for anything else, Lum raced out of the pit. Marie climbed up behind him and watched. At first she just wanted to see what the Octotroopers were doing, but then relaxed. Resting her chin on her hands, she enjoyed watching Lum's displays. Several of them were splatted before the Octosnipers slowly realized that their prey was out of the pit and attacking them. They turned and tried to respond, but Lum had closed too much distance, now the lack of hiding spots for Lum to duck to wasn't aiding them anymore.

Once they were all gone, Marie came up beside Lum. Lum turned to her and smirked. "That's one incident I hope doesn't repeat anytime soon." He pointed at the Inkrail. "Let's get out of here."


"No..." Arvis gawked at what he was seeing. Agent 3 and Agent 2 turned to their squid forms and escaped on the Inkrail of ink. He gritted his teeth and shook with rage. "How? Why did they give the Inkrail their undivided attention?! I was so close, I-"

The door to the room opened up. The sound of boots on the metal floor sounded throughout the room. Arvis didn't have to turn, there was only one person among the army who had this kind of silent presence. It was none other than the prince who had come.

"It was reported that Agent 3 would be splatted within the hour, correct?" He asked. He looked at the monitor, seeing two distinct globes traveling along an Inkrail. The prince smirked. "Tell me, Arvis, which stain is Agent 3? Because I can only see only yellow stains, and nothing in our ink color. You did get him, didn't you?"

"Ah, p-prince, I... um, t-that is..." Arvis stammered, trying to buy time for himself to form a coherent excuse for his failure. He had to, somehow, preserve his position as the official strategist of the army.

The prince looked at his creation hovering in the air. It's about to collapse. He noted, it couldn't be kept in constant use for that span of time. It was the lack of long-term usability that had resulted in him condemning it.

Almost as if his mental note was the cue it was waiting for, the blanket of ink went haywire. Rupturing, there was an explosion of ink in the sky. The metal poles, unable to handle this, disconnected from each other and tumbled from the sky, landing and scattering on the ground below.

"Worthless." The prince muttered, turning his gaze to Arvis. It was unclear whether he was referring to his destroyed invention or Arvis.


"You're back!" As soon as they got back to safety, Agents 3 and 2 were wrapped up in Agent 1's embrace. One arm around Lum, and the second around Agent 2, though Agent 1 had her chin resting firmly on Lum's shoulder.

"Y-yes, we're back, and... ah!" Lum noticed some Octarian ink on his friend. "Where did-"

"They had some guards by the Inkrail." Callie said. "It took me and gramps some time to take them out, they got smart to hit-and-run tactics real fast. Would have been different if you were here." She referred to Lum. "Now we can all go home."

"Home..." Lum pondered. I wonder how they'll react to me being gone until morning comes again.

"Just don't let anyone mistreat you." Marie added. Lum looked at her, then smiled at the concern. Callie tilted her head, not understanding what her cousin was getting at. As Lum and Marie continued looking at each other, Callie realized that the two of them must have shared something during their dilemma.

Lum was interested in going back home as soon as possible. Marie saw Lum off with an affectionate look.


Outside of his house, Lum audibly swallowed, then slowly, slowly walked up and knocked on the door.

Before he could rap a second time, the door swung open and Hum was standing in the doorway. She looked like she hadn't gone to bed at all. There was undeniable fatigue etched in her face, and she was breathing quite heavily, but her eyes suddenly lit up when she saw her brother.

"Lum!" She dove forward, falling onto her brother and wrapping her arms around him, her glasses bouncing up and landing on her forehead. "Lum, I was afraid you wouldn't come back." Her hug looked more like she was hanging on him. Lum wasn't sure how to respond to this sudden affection, and then Hum's eyes snapped wide open before narrowing.

Her embrace ended and she was suddenly clutching at her brother's biceps and gritting her teeth. "Lum, you idiot! I was afraid you wouldn't come back! Mom was bawling her eyes out! Dad got angry at me because he thought your disappearance was my fault. I ought to-" She breathed hard, then her face fell into Lum's shoulder and she closed her eyes.

Lum tilted his head in confusion, Hum was able to get a few words out. "The next time I'm wide awake, you will tell me where you go when you disappear. For right now, just let me sleep."


I hope you enjoyed.